Research Fellow in Neuroscience (University of Sussex)

About the role A post-doctoral position funded by the Wellcome is available in the laboratory of Leon Lagnado to study the flow of information controlling visually-driven behaviour. Fluorescent reporters of neural activity will be used in conjunction with advanced imaging methods and behavioural assays to investigate how signals beginning in the retina and transmitted through different visual pathways determine behavioural outputs in larval zebrafish such as the optomotor response, prey capture and the optokinetic response. We are particularly interested in how visual circuits are modulated and the impact on these behaviours. We are a very active research group embedded in a strong research culture in which a number of other groups use imaging and electrophysiology to study neural circuits involved in sensory processing. We are located in the vibrant city of Brighton and London is 1 hour away. Informal enquiries are strongly encouraged. About you Applicants must have a Ph.D in Neuroscience or a discipline relevant to our research (this could be experimental or computational). You should have the skills to manage your project at times and support colleagues within the lab. You will communicate clearly with the team. About our School In the School of Life Sciences we strive to understand the mechanisms that drive biological and chemical processes and to develop innovative and diverse approaches to enhance human health, technology and the environment. We undertake multidisciplinary research, teaching and engagement across a wide range of subjects, from Chemistry through Cellular and Molecular Biosciences to Conservation Biology. The School comprises five Departments: Biochemistry & Biomedicine, Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Neuroscience, Ecology & Evolution and Chemistry. We also house the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre which works to deliver the bench-to-bedside translation of our discoveries. The breadth and depth of our cutting-edge research and innovative teaching practice is delivered by a diverse community who work across boundaries to deliver excellence, engage with real world problems and produce impact. We pride ourselves on our world-leading research and have a strong research economy, with approximately 50% of our income stemming from research and an active grant portfolio of over £50 million. We host or form part of three University Centres of Excellence: the Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Sussex Neuroscience and Sussex Sustainability Research Programme. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 90.6 % of our Biological Sciences outputs and 84.8% of our Chemistry outputs were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We are proud that in both areas, 100% of our Impact cases were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. The School is committed to the University’s core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage. We believe that equality, diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and aim to provide a friendly and supportive environment for all who work, study and visit the School of Life Sciences. Please find further information regarding the School of Life Sciences on our website. The School of Life Sciences is proud to hold a Silver Athena Swann Award. Why work here Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme. Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that. Find out more about our reward and benefits package. Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion Further Key Information Please contact Leon Lagnado (l.lagnado@sussex.ac.uk) for informal enquiries. The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex. The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK. Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role has been assigned an eligible SOC code, and meets the salary requirements for Skilled Worker Sponsorship if full time. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship. Benefits The benefits that you will receive from day one: Hybrid Working, Generous pension scheme, Purchase additional Annual Leave through our Scheme for a great home and work life balance, Discounts of public transport, Cycle to work Scheme, and special rates in hotels in Brighton and the Sussex region, Discounts on high-street shops through our Rewards partner, along with a Cash back Health Plan, Considerable discount on our on-site Gym Facilities because we care about our employees’ Health and Wellbeing. Location Brighton, UK Hours Full-time considered up to a maximum of 1.0 FTE (37.5 hours) Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need). Salary Grade 7 starting at £38,249 to £45,413 per annum, pro rata if part time. Contract Type Fixed Term Contract Attachments Job_Description_Ref_41251.pdf If you apply for this position please say you saw it on Psychoneuroxy

About the role

A post-doctoral position funded by the Wellcome is available in the laboratory of Leon Lagnado to study the flow of information controlling visually-driven behaviour. Fluorescent reporters of neural activity will be used in conjunction with advanced imaging methods and behavioural assays to investigate how signals beginning in the retina and transmitted through different visual pathways determine behavioural outputs in larval zebrafish such as the optomotor response, prey capture and the optokinetic response. We are particularly interested in how visual circuits are modulated and the impact on these behaviours.
We are a very active research group embedded in a strong research culture in which a number of other groups use imaging and electrophysiology to study neural circuits involved in sensory processing. We are located in the vibrant city of Brighton and London is 1 hour away.
Informal enquiries are strongly encouraged.

About you

Applicants must have a Ph.D in Neuroscience or a discipline relevant to our research (this could be experimental or computational). You should have the skills to manage your project at times and support colleagues within the lab. You will communicate clearly with the team.

About our School

In the School of Life Sciences we strive to understand the mechanisms that drive biological and chemical processes and to develop innovative and diverse approaches to enhance human health, technology and the environment. We undertake multidisciplinary research, teaching and engagement across a wide range of subjects, from Chemistry through Cellular and Molecular Biosciences to Conservation Biology.
The School comprises five Departments: Biochemistry & Biomedicine, Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Neuroscience, Ecology & Evolution and Chemistry. We also house the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre which works to deliver the bench-to-bedside translation of our discoveries. The breadth and depth of our cutting-edge research and innovative teaching practice is delivered by a diverse community who work across boundaries to deliver excellence, engage with real world problems and produce impact.

We pride ourselves on our world-leading research and have a strong research economy, with approximately 50% of our income stemming from research and an active grant portfolio of over £50 million. We host or form part of three University Centres of Excellence: the Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Sussex Neuroscience and Sussex Sustainability Research Programme. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 90.6 % of our Biological Sciences outputs and 84.8% of our Chemistry outputs were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We are proud that in both areas, 100% of our Impact cases were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
The School is committed to the University’s core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage. We believe that equality, diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and aim to provide a friendly and supportive environment for all who work, study and visit the School of Life Sciences.
Please find further information regarding the School of Life Sciences on our website.
The School of Life Sciences is proud to hold a Silver Athena Swann Award.

Why work here

Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.
Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.
Find out more about our reward and benefits package.

Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion

Further Key Information

Please contact Leon Lagnado (l.lagnado@sussex.ac.uk) for informal enquiries.
The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex.

The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.

Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role has been assigned an eligible SOC code, and meets the salary requirements for Skilled Worker Sponsorship if full time. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.

Benefits

The benefits that you will receive from day one: Hybrid Working, Generous pension scheme, Purchase additional Annual Leave through our Scheme for a great home and work life balance, Discounts of public transport, Cycle to work Scheme, and special rates in hotels in Brighton and the Sussex region, Discounts on high-street shops through our Rewards partner, along with a Cash back Health Plan, Considerable discount on our on-site Gym Facilities because we care about our employees’ Health and Wellbeing.